Let an ORCA eat your lunch.

I neglected to bring my lunch to work today so I went to the university dining hall to get some food. On the way in, I was greeted by a slideshow of a new machine the school has installed to reduce food waste. The ORCA is a biocomposting reactor that uses environmentally friendly microorganisms to transform food waste, paper and biodegradable plastic into water and carbon dioxide. In fact, the ORCA produces up to 10 times the amount of water it uses. Imagine what your institution could save in waste disposal costs!

If you are a decision maker at an institution that serves food, look into getting an ORCA or similar machine. You can visit Green Guard Associates to learn more about the ORCA.

The rest of us can do the following:

* Choose less packaging.
* Choose packaging and materials made from biodegradable plastics or paper.
* Try outdoor composting or indoor composting at your home.
* Encourage the higher-ups at your business, school, or other institution to consider getting a biocomposting reactor.

All of this is important because landfills contain more food and paper waste than diapers, styrofoam, and tires - combined. And even though food and paper are biodegradable, they need air and water to facilitate that process. The piles of compacted trash in landfills often don't degrade so they take up lots of space in the landfills. So find a way to compost your waste.

Thanks for the tip, Emory, and for lunch! Happy composting, everyone!

"An acre of performance is worth a whole world of promise." - William Dean Howells